Sex In Fiction, Thoughts?

[crazyparakiss]

Fiction. Right so I'm compiling my thoughts and feels on things before I actually start, seriously, outlining my characters and my question to you guys is this:

How do you feel about sex in fiction?

Personally, I'm not against it but I'm against sex being the only key plot point. I don't particularly want to write a romance novel, on one hand but on another I want a realistic adult world with the many trials and tribulations of adult life...and that does include sex. After puberty it seems to me that most people are working their asses off for one basic need, sex. I don't want a key plot point to be sex but I want it to be a key factor in a character's personality. A sexualized creature without that being all that this character's life is about.

So I ask you good people (because you all write much better porn than I could ever dream of) how do you find the balance and how do you find a way to make porn more than what it is?

I apologize if it seems like I am being vague and still wanting answers. By now you guys know I fail at coherent thought XD

Comments

[tari_sue]

I think it depends on your market – as people say above, some folk read fanfic for the porn. If you are writing a novel on the other hand, I would avoid gratuitous sex scenes - if it forms a natural part of the narrative or is relevant to the story you are telling then go for it, but if it is being shoe-horned in for the sake of it then it will always feel awkward and out of place no matter how well written. The amount of detail is up to you, but less is often more. These are my observations as a reader more than a writer, i have yet to perfect writing anything :D

[crazyparakiss.livejournal.com]

Me too, hon. That's why I ask, though you are GLORIOUS SUE! :) Thanks for the input.

See I am not a fan of long sex scenes, no matter how hot. It just seems too intrusive. IDK if that makes sense but I feel, when I love a character, that intruding too much on a sex scene is like intruding on their lives. And I don't want to intrude, so I like to see the points of the sex scene that would have the most over-all meaning and ignore the rest of it. If that makes sense?

But yes gratuitous sex is what I am trying to avoid.

I love your icon by the way!